Menlo School Library: Legal issues: Home

Menlo databases

General databases: primary and secondary source

JSTOR This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This database provides quick access to authoritative secondary source material. Primary sources are now available too—under Refine Results, scroll to Primary source content to select source types.
- What’s included?
  Look here for a very large collection of peer-reviewed journal articles and images, plus a smaller collection of e-books and technical reports. Use Advanced Search to select articles from a particular topical area. Now has primary source content too.
MAS Ultra (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This very large database is a good place to begin a research project.
- What’s included?
  Tertiary and secondary source articles, images, historical documents, and popular magazines.
Points of View (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Articles on a wide variety of controversial topics can be found in this database.
- What’s included?
  Tertiary, secondary and primary sources, opinion essays, newspaper articles, transcripts of radio and television programs.
RAND State Stats This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Look here for statistical information on a variety of topics.
- What’s included?
  This is a collection of state – level data from 300 RAND databases. Information is updated frequently.

Newspaper databases

America's Historical Newspapers (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Look here for newspaper articles from many cities across the US.
- What’s included?
  350 years of newspapers and broadsheets.
Newspaper Source Plus (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Find current and past newspaper articles from around the United States.
- What’s included?
  The most recent 20 years of newspaper coverage from 800 newspapers, plus radio and television transcripts.

Organizations

ACLU
The ACLU works on many civil rights issues from a generally progressive standpoint.
Equal Justice Initiative
This organization works in the areas of racial justice, mass incarceration, conviction of minors, and the death penalty.
The Innocence Project
This organization works to overturn wrongful convictions.
The Marshall Project
An organization that works with criminal justice issues.

Supreme Court sites

Justia
Legal information and full text of many Supreme Court cases.
OYEZ
Information about Supreme Court cases beginning in 1821.
SCOTUSBlog
Information and analysis of current and pending Supreme Court cases.
Supreme Court of the United States
Transcripts and information about Supreme Court cases from 1991 - 2020.

National issues

False confessions

False Confessions: Causes, Consequences, and Implications
A 2009 article from the Journal of the American Academy of Psychiatry and the Law Online.
Why Do Innocent People Confess?
A 2012 New York Times article.

Gun violence in schools

Addressing Gun Violence
A collection of free resources on gun violence from Project MUSE.
Gun Violence in Schools
A collection of resources from Teaching Tolerance.
Three Keys to School Safety and Gun Violence Prevention
A policy statement from the National Education Association.

Prison pay

How Much Do Incarcerated People Earn in Each State?
Data from the Prison Policy Institute.

Poverty and justice

Free Legal Help
Information from The American Bar Association.
Making Justice Equal
An article from the Center for American Progress.

Sexual assault on campus

Sexual Assault on Campus
Background and news stories from the National Association of Independent College and Universities.

Solitary confinement

Solitary Confinement
A collection of resources from the National Institute of Corrections.
Solitary Confinement Facts
Data from the American Friends Service Committee.
Solitary by the Numbers
Data on solitary confinement, from Frontline.

Vaping regulation

'Prison SlaveryY': Inmates are Paid Cents While Manufacturing Products Sold to Government
An article from Newsweek Magazine.
U.S. E-Cigarette Regulations - 50 State Review (2018)
Laws about e-cigarettes in all 50 states.
Vaporizers, E-Cigarettes, and other Electronic Nicotine Delivery Systems (ENDS)
Information from the Food & Drug Administration.

California issues

Immigration issues

Bureau of Population, Refugees, and Migration
Information for and about immigration, from the US State Department.
Maps: Sanctuary Cities, Counties, and States
A map of sanctuary city locations across the US.

Prison issues

Capital Punishment: Inmates on Condemned Status
Information from the CA Dept of Corrections.
Death Penalty Information Center
Information from a Washington D.C. think tank.
The Mass Incarceration Epidemic
An article from the California Innocence Project, an advocacy and education group.
Prison Policy Initiative: California
Research and graphics from an organization that works for prison reform.

Student free speech

California Education Code 48907
Text of the portion of the CA education code that addresses free speech.
Your Rights: Student Expression
Information from the ACLU.

Think Tanks

Conservative

American Enterprise Institute
Conservative think tank with primary focus on American government, economics and social welfare.
Heritage Foundation
Public policy research organization with a conservative leaning.
Hoover Institution
A public policy think tank located at Stanford University, with a broadly conservative viewpoint.

Centrist

Brookings Institution
A non-partisan political think tank located in Washington D.C.
Carnegie Endowment for International Peace
A foreign policy think tank with research centers around the world.
Cato Institute
Libertarian think tank focused primarily on public advocacy and societal influence.
Center for Strategic & International Studies
A Washington D.C. think tank focused on international relations.
Freeman Spogli Institute for International Studies
Stanford’s hub for nonpartisan, interdisciplinary research, teaching and policy impact in international affairs.
PEW Research Center
Conducts non-partisan research on a wide variety of topics.
RAND Corporation
A non-partisan global policy think tank, partly funded by the US government.

Liberal

Center for American Progress
Conducts research and advocates on economic and social issues, with a liberal viewpoint.
Congressional Research Service (CRS)
Searchable, indexed collection of the research reports that are created for Congress member.
Economic Policy Institute
Conducts research on economic issues, from a liberal viewpoint.
Roosevelt Institute
A liberal think tank that promotes progressive political ideas.

Think tank indexes

American Policy Directory
A large list of policy agencies and think tanks, from University of Oregon.
Think Tanks
A list of think tanks categorized by political leaning, from the New York Times.
Think Tank Search
Harvard University's search tool can help you find think tanks doing research on your topic.
Think Tanks Guide
An annotated list of think tanks, from the University of Chicago Harris School of Public Policy.

Legal issues in the news

America's Historical Newspapers (Newsbank) This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Look here for newspaper articles from many cities across the US.
- What’s included?
  350 years of newspapers and broadsheets.
New York Times This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  This provides access to the current issues of the New York Times.
- How to access:
  Click the database title, then follow the instructions to set up a subscription to the NYT. Initial setup must be done online, but once you have an account, offsite access is available.
Wall Street Journal This link opens in a new window
- Why search here?
  Get digital access to the current issue of the Wall Street Journal.
- How to access:
  Click the database link, then follow the instructions on the page to get access.

What's happening in the courts?

SCOTUSblog
Watch SCOTUSblog to see what's happening in the US Supreme Court.
Supreme Court of California
Look here for information about current cases.